Investigations of patient abuse by in-house authorities are called unacceptably poor

Investigations of patient abuse by in-house police at California’s institutions for the developmentally disabled have been unacceptably poor for years and must be fixed immediately, state officials and patient advocates agreed during a hearing Tuesday.

But the consensus ended there, as the Senate Human Services Committee proceedings became an argument over whether to eliminate the Office of Protective Services, which investigates crimes at the state’s five developmental centers, or overhaul the agency.

In a series of stories, California Watch has reported that detectives and patrol officers at the state’s five board-and-care institutions – home to about 1,800 severely disabled men and women – routinely fail to conduct basic police work even when patients die under mysterious circumstances. The facilities have reported hundreds of cases of abuse and unexplained injuries, almost none of which has led to arrests.

The hearing came as the administration of Gov. Jerry Brown announced a series of changes for the Office of Protective Services. The overhaul includes beefed-up training for officers and detectives, new standards for securing evidence and potential crime scenes, automated tracking of injuries and other incidents, and the hiring of an independent overseer.

“Any case of abuse is unacceptable, regardless of where the person lives,” Terri Delgadillo, director of the state Department of Developmental Services, which oversees the Office of Protective Services, told the Senate Human Services Committee.

Diana Dooley, secretary of the state Health and Human Services Agency, announced that she had hired a law enforcement expert to oversee the changes. That consultant, Joseph Brann, is the former chief of the Hayward Police Department and consultant to the state attorney general monitoring reforms at the Riverside and Maywood police departments.

Brann said he will push for meaningful action to ensure crimes against patients are investigated competently. “Everyone will be operating with a sense of urgency,” he said.

After nearly a decade of scathing audits and complaints about the internal police department, lawmakers at the hearing were demanding action. The state promised to implement reforms within the next three months.